TAMPA, Fla. — Florida law enforcement leaders are reviving an old tactic in hopes of solving cold cases across the Sunshine State, saying something as simple as a playing card could be the "ace up the sleeve" to bringing a killer to justice.
Attorney General Ashely Moody was in Tampa Monday morning to announce a joint initiative between multiple agencies that put together a full deck of playing cards — each card providing the face and information about a person whose murder still hasn't been solved.
Each playing card tells the story of a missing person or unsolved homicide case and information about how to anonymously report a tip through **TIPS (8477).
Those decks carrying victims' faces will be distributed to jails and correctional facilities in Florida for inmates to use. The hope is that inmates will recognize a face or specific details about a case and come forward to authorities, providing the vital piece of information to blow the case wide open and solve it.
According to law enforcement, the last time the state utilized a deck of cold cases, two cases were "quickly" solved, bringing closure to loved ones left behind. The murders of James Foote and Ingrid Lugo were solved thanks to that deck, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said.
"We know it works," Frank Brunner, president of the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers said Monday.
That was in 2007. Now that it's been more than 15 years, Moody said it's time to bring back this initiative.
At least three of the cold cases included in the new deck involve cases that happened in the Tampa Bay area, authorities said Monday. Two happened in Hillsborough County while another was committed in Pasco County.
In addition to the more than 5,000 decks anticipated to be distributed to Florida jails and prisons, Brunner said the decks are also available online, giving neighbors and community members a chance to help. You can find the full deck by clicking or tapping here.
"We are giving Cold Case Cards to inmates, but we are not playing games," Moody said. "This low-tech approach to generating tips may prove to be an ace up the sleeve as we continue to bring finality to seemingly unbreakable cases."
The new deck of Cold Case cards is another tool the attorney general's office is utilizing to crack unsolved homicides or cases of missing persons. Earlier this year, Moody announced the creation of the new Florida Cold Case Investigations Unit. You can find out more information by clicking or tapping here.